Sit And Moan

Well.   Look's like Cheatin' wins, despite a late surge from the Hangover crowd.  Remember kids...Cheater's never win, except when they do.  So we're set...Top 50 Cheatin' songs to be featured down the line once the votes are tabulated and the morning prayers for forgiveness have cleansed our guilty souls.  Reminder:  If you'd like to be a judge, and help us sort this mess out, let us know!  You'll be the proud recipient of many, many tunes to choose from.  And, of course, if you've got a favorite Cheatin' song, from any genre, let us know.  Don't want this list to just be our opinion, cuz then y'all stuck with Country and Blues.  Share your opinion! 

Now, on with the show.

Last year, during our annual round-up of our fave rekkids of the year, we made a case for Mark Sultan as one of our artists of the year, based on his solo work and his collaborations with King Khan and The Black Lips.   This year, we think Bloodshot Bill is our collaborator of the year, with a new solo record, a Tandoori Knights record, and a Ding-Dongs record.  Sweet jesus!

Bloodshot Bill is, of course, a madman.  A rockabilly, trash-sleaze caveman, with wild wild youth at the controls,  steering yr Ford Fairlane straight to hell, pomade-stained blood spattered highway pile-up, and still the illicit dragstrip stays open, the blonde in the bikini waving no flag of surrender, only speed and rotted axles spinning a hypnotic, wasted junk-joint rhythm.

All of Bloodshot Bill's "solo" records are well worth checking out (we've got some samples below).   If you love Hank Williams and Hasil Adkins, this is yr bag, baby!

But today we come to praise his current releases, collaborations with two other Mountain favorites...you guessed it...King Khan and Mark Sultan (aka BBQ).  It's possible we may never see Mr. Khan and Mr. Sultan play together again (a recent blow-up which you can Google).  While the hipster cognoscenti may bemoan this, we think Bloodshot Bill  makes the perfect go-between between these two cats, and more than holds his own as one of our best garbage-men in the current frenzy of lesser, trend-following sycophants.  Bloodshot Bill's the real deal, and he's been doing it for a long time.

On this year's collaboration with Mark Sultan, The Ding-Dongs, Bloodshot Bill  and Sultan rip, rage and tear the motherfuckin' roof down with a swinging, fizzy, deep bottom swagger and guitar frenzy.  Trading brimstone sinner's vocals like a hayride from hell, these cats make yr must-hear party record of the year, if'n yr inclined towards a boom chicka chicka, hog-roasted, sweaty and smeared jamboree.  Which we assume you are, and why wouldn't you be?

As if that weren't enough, Bloodshot Bill also drops "Curry Up", by The Tandoori Knights, his collaboration with King Khan.  An about face from his Ding-Dongs (and solo) work, this is a record full of Bollywood's worst nightmares.  More psychedelic than his previous work, and full of  food and sex references (via King Khan's obsessions), the record finds a slinkier, stinkier groove, like the streets of Delhi transformed into a gaudy (gaudier?)  film directed by Abel Ferrara, seedy and scented, full of sepia-toned technicolor, cracked by shambolic shops selling illicit pleasure in the form of twine-time and brown-drugged epiphany.  Slow-cooked, loose limbed groove, then.  Sweet to the smell and hot to the taste.

Two of the essential records this year.  And Bloodshot Bill's got another new record, "Homicide", that we haven't been able to get our grubby fingers on, yet (we're working on it, folks). 

It's the year of Bloodshot Bill, and the man can't even hit the states 'til next year (long story. look it up).

The Ding-Dongs: Knock Me Down (mp3)

Tandoori Knights: Bucketful (mp3)

And some solo work.

Bloodshot Bill:  Loaded (mp3)

Bloodshot Bill:  Naughty Girls (mp3)

Bloodshot Bill:  Root-Toot-Toot (mp3)

Bloodshot Bill:  Hangin' Me Tonight (mp3)

Bloodshot Bill:  All I Can Do Is Sit And Moan (mp3)

Please support your local, independent distributor of tasty snacks and hot curried treats.

Cheatin' Vs. Hangovers

Still time to vote in poll off to the side!  What do you want our next Top 50 list to be?  Cheatin' songs or Hangover songs?  Speak now, or no complaints down the line.  And if you wanna be a judge, and help keep us honest, let us know!

So here's a quickie sampler of what y'all got to choose from.  Two stone cold classics from each option.

You should everything by Kris Kristofferson, of course. The man's a legend.  And, in "Sunday Morning Coming Down", he might have composed the greatest hangover song of all time.

Dan Penn, often with Spooner Oldham, crafted some of the great  slow-burn Southern Soul songs of the '60's.  He certainly deserves a full post of his own. In lieu of James Carr's version of  "Dark End Of The Street", we're gonna tease you with Penn's take on his own creation.  'Cuz it's really fuckin' great.  All the cheatin' and all the fearful consequences lingering..

Of course...more to come.  So vote in the goddamn poll, already!   It's right there..to your left.  Which deserves it's own Top 50 List??? 


Kris Kristofferson:  Sunday Morning Coming Down (mp3)

Dan Penn: The Dark Side Of The Street (mp3)

Please support your local, independent morning regret.

Six Pack of Love

Gettin' ready for our favorite season, Autumn, and a post of one of our new-found favorites, but figgered we'd offer up a quick little 6 Pack (plus one) for yr weekend record shopping...erm...listening enjoyment.

But first...We want your opinion!  After the world-wide success of our Top 100 Drinking Songs, we think it's about time for another definitive list, one in which there can be no argument!  So, we're thinking of two options...Top 50 Cheating Songs or Top 50 Hangover Songs.  What do you think, faithful readers?  Which list is most appealing?  Of course we'll be looking for a few good women and men to help us judge, and we'll be looking for a ton of suggestions, whichever the pick is,  so keep that in mind.  Here's the deal, we need you vote in the poll to the left to help us decide which list it'll be.  Once the poll closes, we're gonna start begging y'all for judges and song suggestions.  Feel free to start either of those options now, of course.

Alright, alright.  That done let's kick out a little vinyl goodness in the form of our semi-regular Six Pack series, where we select some random killer tunes culled from our vinyl collection.  You know the drill.  So let's go. (oh, and we might have a bonus track...cuz that's how the kids roll these days...). 

Mountain faves Del Reeves and Billie Jo Spears team up for a truckin' and truck stop love song.  You just know we're all over this shit.  And how about Tom T. Hall givin' it up for a little sanctified lust?  Mmmm hmmm.   

Jim Mize has a new 7" out which features maybe the best song of the year, "Drunk Moon Falling".  We're not gonna give that to you.  You should really own that record (it's cheap!).  But the B-Side, "I Won't Come Back Again" is pretty fuckin' fantastic too.  And it's only a teaser to how great the A-Side is.  Seriously, if you buy the 7", which you deserve as a music fan, and can prove that you've got it (shame on you for not owning a record player), we'll send you an mp3 of the title song.  It's well worth yr goddam time.  Oh, and Mountain favorite John Paul Keith plays on the track...so you know it's good.

Jack Oblivian...well, damn.  It's Jack Oblivian.  Can we preach his glory more on this site.  Just listen to the goddam track and go out and grab the catalog.  It's worth it.  This is from a 7" put out by Vice Records.   

We have no idea who the Coal Diggers are.  They're a polka band that we found a random record for in the bins.  If you find one of their records, grab it, dammit.  The song is a brilliant distillation of  a band on the edge of alcoholic indulgence.

And then we've got a psychedelic "God" song from a record commemorating the ultimate "Jesus People" experience, "Jesus Sound Explosion".  Just sit back and revel in the early 70's attempt at "hipster nowness".  The song is pretty fuckin' great, all divine soul groove.  Also, for fans who ever read all the "christian" Archie comics...you know who you are.

Finally, it's our boy Robert Mitchum, waxing road weary and boozy.  We love Mitchum as an actor, he's one of our fave raves, but on his musical recordings, he's transcendent.   A Country tramp, an Exotica beatnik, a man with a past and future uncertain.  Damn, he's a swell hobo in spangled Hollywood lights, aint he?

So, that's seven songs in this Six Pack.  Well, don't tell us we aint generous.  Call it a Baker's Dozen in "take home" lingo. 

Evey song is a classic.  Collect 'em all.  Why be selective?

Del Reeves and Billie Jo Spears: Baby, Ride Easy (mp3)

Tom T. Hall: The Little Lady Preacher (mp3)

Jim Mize: I Won't Come Back Again (mp3)

Jack Oblivian: The Lone Ranger Of Love (mp3)

The Coal Diggers: Don't Throw Beer Bottles At The Band (mp3)

Armageddon Experience: One Way (mp3)

Robert Mitchum: Gotta Travel On (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent One Hour Motels.  Good times.